Ukraine fired a barrage of British Storm Shadow cruise missiles at Russia on Wednesday, the latest new Western weapon it was authorized to use against Russian targets a day after it fired American ATACMS missiles.
The strikes were widely reported by Russian war correspondents on Telegram and confirmed by an official on condition of anonymity. A spokesman for the Ukrainian General Staff said he had no such information at the moment.
Moscow said that using Western weapons to strike Russian territory far from the border would constitute a major escalation in the conflict. Kiev says it needs the ability to defend itself by striking Russian rear bases used to support the invasion of Moscow, which entered its 1,000th day this week.
The accounts of Russian war correspondents on the Telegram application published footage that they said included the sound of missiles landing in the Kursk region. At least 14 huge explosions can be heard, most of which are preceded by the sharp whistle of what sounds like an incoming missile. Footage filmed in a residential area showed black smoke rising from a distance.
The pro-Russian Two Majors Telegram channel said that Ukraine fired up to 12 Storm Shadow missiles at the Kursk region and uploaded pictures of clearly visible missile parts bearing the name Storm Shadow.
A spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his office would not comment on reports or operational matters.
Britain had previously allowed Ukraine to use Storm Shadows inside Ukrainian territory. The Kiev government is pressing its Western partners to obtain permission to use such weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia, and received full approval from US President Joe Biden to use the ATACMS system this week, two months before Biden leaves office.
Biden’s successor, President-elect Donald Trump, said he would end the war, without explaining how. The warring parties have interpreted this as likely to include a push for peace talks – which have not been known to have been held since the early months of the war – and are trying to take a strong position ahead of negotiations.
The Storm Shadows’ range exceeds 250 kilometers (155 miles) and would give Ukraine the ability to strike targets much deeper in Russia than before.
Kiev says that Moscow, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, had previously exploited restrictions on its use of weapons, especially to strike Ukrainian cities from the air with heavy, guided bombs.
Western countries say that the arrival of more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers to fight alongside Russia in recent weeks was an escalation that deserves a response.
The first use of US ATACMS missiles on Tuesday, which were fired at a Russian arsenal in the Bryansk region, sparked firm statements from Moscow, which announced a change in its nuclear doctrine to lower the threshold for the use of atomic weapons. Washington said it saw no need to modify its nuclear position and accused Moscow of resorting to irresponsible rhetoric.
Military analysts said the longer-range missiles were unlikely to give Ukraine a decisive advantage in the war, but they could help it strengthen its position, especially in the battle for a piece of land inside Russia’s Kursk region, which it captured in August.
Closing of the American embassy
As tensions escalated over the use of missiles, the United States closed its embassy in Kiev on Wednesday morning “out of an abundance of caution” due to what it described as the threat of a major air attack.
Air raid sirens in the early afternoon rattled nerves in the capital. But Ukraine’s military spy agency said the widely reported threat of large-scale drone and missile attacks across the country was false, and accused Russia of trying to sow panic by posting online messages on the subject.
She added: “The enemy is unable to subjugate Ukrainians by force, and resorts to measures of intimidation and psychological pressure on society. We ask you to be vigilant and steadfast.”
The Italian and Greek embassies said they had also closed their doors. The French embassy remained open but urged its citizens to be cautious. The Kremlin said it had no comment.
Moscow will respond to NATO countries that facilitate long-range Ukrainian missile strikes on Russian territory, Russian Foreign Intelligence Chief Sergei Naryshkin said in an interview published on Wednesday.
The war is in a volatile phase, with Russia controlling nearly a fifth of Ukrainian territory, the deployment of North Korean forces in Russia’s Kursk region, and doubts about the future of Western aid under Trump, whose nominees for administration positions are skeptical of Kiev’s support.
On Sunday, Russia launched a missile and drone attack on Ukraine’s national power grid, killing seven people and renewing concerns about the durability of the faltering power grid.